Amy George
Encyclopedia
Amy George is a 2011 Canadian microbudget film written, produced and directed by Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas. It stars Gabriel del Castillo Mullally as the adolescent Jesse and Claudia Dey
and Don Kerr
as his parents. The film tells the story of the 13 year old Jesse who wants to be an artist, but believes that his mundane middle class life has left him unprepared. After reading a book on what it takes to be a "true-artist", he sets out looking for risk, ecstasy, wildness and women.
It premiered at the Wisconsin Film Festival
on April 3, 2011 and had its Canadian premiere in the Canada First! section of the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival
.
Meanwhile, Sabi and Tim find themselves questioning Jesse’s developing character as they watch him abandon his childhood personality and mature into an uncommunicative adolescent. Frustrated by his lack of inspiration, Jesse discovers a book in the school library which advises him: “You can never be a real artist until you have made love to a woman.”
Taking the text at face value and with the encouragement of a family friend, Jesse begins to look for incident, both foreign and adult, which leads him to an encounter with his young, female neighbour, Amy. Peering into her window at night, he snaps a quick photograph of her.
Days later, the two are inadvertently reunited, allowing Jesse an opportunity to explore his prepubescent fascination with the opposite sex. After a long evening of games, exploration and hypnosis, Jesse awakes with confusion and guilt, unsure whether or not he may have overstepped his boundaries. The question of rape consumes his thoughts and Jesse is left struggling to reconcile his uneasy mind.
. The characters of Jesse's parents, Sabi and Tim, were played by real-life couple, Claudia Dey
and Don Kerr
.
neighbourhood of Riverdale
on May 8, 2010. Several scenes take place at neighbourhood parks, including Withrow Park
and Riverdale Park
.
.
in 2011.
Claudia Dey
Claudia Dey is a Canadian writer. She was born in Toronto, Ontario. She studied English Literature at McGill University and playwriting at the National Theatre School of Canada.Dey's first novel, Stunt, was published by Coach House Books...
and Don Kerr
Don Kerr
Don Kerr is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist and record producer.He was a member of Rheostatics from 1995 to May 2001. He plays in Ron Sexsmith's band, and sometimes with The Kelele Brothers. He and Sexsmith released an album together, Destination Unknown, in 2005...
as his parents. The film tells the story of the 13 year old Jesse who wants to be an artist, but believes that his mundane middle class life has left him unprepared. After reading a book on what it takes to be a "true-artist", he sets out looking for risk, ecstasy, wildness and women.
It premiered at the Wisconsin Film Festival
Wisconsin Film Festival
The Wisconsin Film Festival is an annual film festival, founded in 1999. The five-day long festival is held every April in Madison, Wisconsin.The Festival presents a broad range of independent American and world cinema , restorations and revivals, and locally made pictures from Wisconsin filmmakers...
on April 3, 2011 and had its Canadian premiere in the Canada First! section of the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival
2011 Toronto International Film Festival
The 36th annual Toronto International Film Festival, was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 8 and September 18, 2011.Buenos Aires, Argentina was selected to be showcased for the 2011 City to City programme. The opening film was From the Sky Down, a documentary film about the band...
.
Plot
Thirteen year old Jesse is assigned a school project. A photographic self-portrait intended to portray one’s self without resorting to literal representation. Jesse lives with his parents, Sabi and Tim, in the lefty, middle class Toronto neighbourhood of Riverdale. A quiet and distant only-child with budding artistic aspirations, Jesse is inspired by the assignment to look for excitement and meaning in the world around him. Wielding a newly-acquired camera, Jesse sets out to capture his surroundings, but soon realizes the undramatic nature of his family, neighbourhood and existence.Meanwhile, Sabi and Tim find themselves questioning Jesse’s developing character as they watch him abandon his childhood personality and mature into an uncommunicative adolescent. Frustrated by his lack of inspiration, Jesse discovers a book in the school library which advises him: “You can never be a real artist until you have made love to a woman.”
Taking the text at face value and with the encouragement of a family friend, Jesse begins to look for incident, both foreign and adult, which leads him to an encounter with his young, female neighbour, Amy. Peering into her window at night, he snaps a quick photograph of her.
Days later, the two are inadvertently reunited, allowing Jesse an opportunity to explore his prepubescent fascination with the opposite sex. After a long evening of games, exploration and hypnosis, Jesse awakes with confusion and guilt, unsure whether or not he may have overstepped his boundaries. The question of rape consumes his thoughts and Jesse is left struggling to reconcile his uneasy mind.
Cast
- Gabriel del Castillo Mullally as Jesse
- Claudia DeyClaudia DeyClaudia Dey is a Canadian writer. She was born in Toronto, Ontario. She studied English Literature at McGill University and playwriting at the National Theatre School of Canada.Dey's first novel, Stunt, was published by Coach House Books...
as Sabi - Don KerrDon KerrDon Kerr is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist and record producer.He was a member of Rheostatics from 1995 to May 2001. He plays in Ron Sexsmith's band, and sometimes with The Kelele Brothers. He and Sexsmith released an album together, Destination Unknown, in 2005...
as Tim - Natasha Allan as Tara
- Emily Henry as Amy
- Candace Barkin as Liv
- Yaari Magenheim as Jake
- Brian Scott as Mr. Fontana
- Andrea Verginella Paina as Marianne
- Ester Reyes as Yetta
Casting
The large teenage cast was primarily found at local schools. Gabriel del Castillo Mullaly who played the lead, Jesse, had never acted before and is the son of Canadian actress Maria del MarMaria del Mar (actress)
Maria del Mar del Castillo is a Canadian television actress, who has starred in series such as Street Legal, Tek War, Relativity, Mercy Point, Terminal City and Blue Murder....
. The characters of Jesse's parents, Sabi and Tim, were played by real-life couple, Claudia Dey
Claudia Dey
Claudia Dey is a Canadian writer. She was born in Toronto, Ontario. She studied English Literature at McGill University and playwriting at the National Theatre School of Canada.Dey's first novel, Stunt, was published by Coach House Books...
and Don Kerr
Don Kerr
Don Kerr is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist and record producer.He was a member of Rheostatics from 1995 to May 2001. He plays in Ron Sexsmith's band, and sometimes with The Kelele Brothers. He and Sexsmith released an album together, Destination Unknown, in 2005...
.
Filming
Principle photography began in and around the TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
neighbourhood of Riverdale
Riverdale, Toronto
Riverdale is a large neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bounded by the Don River Valley to the west, Danforth Avenue and Greektown to the north, Jones Avenue, the CN/GO tracks, and Leslieville to the east, and Lake Shore Boulevard to the south....
on May 8, 2010. Several scenes take place at neighbourhood parks, including Withrow Park
Withrow Park
Withrow Park is a park in the Riverdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Laid out and constructed in the 1910s, at the same time that the surrounding community was built, Withrow Park is among Toronto's large multi-purpose parks...
and Riverdale Park
Riverdale Park (Toronto)
Riverdale Park is a large park spanning the Lower Don River, Toronto, Ontario, Canada between Cabbagetown to the west and Broadview Avenue in Riverdale to the east. Recreational fields for soccer, baseball, and Ultimate are available on both sides of the river with a swimming pool, tennis courts...
.
Music
The minimal score for Amy George was written by Lev Lewis. The film features four songs by musician Michael HoltMichael Holt (musician)
Michael Holt is a musician who lives in Toronto, Canada. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1968, and raised in New York City, where he learned to play the piano as a child...
.
Awards
Amy George won the Spirit Award for Feature Narrative at the Brooklyn Film FestivalBrooklyn International Film Festival
The Brooklyn Film Festival ', prior to 2011 called the Brooklyn International Film Festival ' is an independent film festival held every June in Brooklyn, New York...
in 2011.